Rev. Wako Kato

Reverend Wako Kato, Ph.D., has served at Sokoji in San Francisco from 1952 to 1963
and at Zenshuji since 1963. He also holds the position of chief priest of Fuganji
in Nara, Japan. Besides his priesthood, he held academic positions at San Francisco
State University and the University of California at Berkeley. After he moved to
Los Angeles, he taught at California State University, Los Angeles, where he was
granted Professor Emeritus. He was also a Visiting Professor at the University of
California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Before this lecture series began, he was a Dean
of International Studies at the Nagoya University of Foreign Studies in Japan for
seven years and now, Professor Emeritus there. He has authored seven books and numerous
articles in English and Japanese.

Rev. Koshi Kuwahara

Reverend Koshi Hiroyuki Kuwahara, age 83, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2018
at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center.

He is survived by his wife, Mitsuyo Kuwahara, son Kenny (Hiroko), daughter Emily
(Ian Barner), and grandchildren, Dean, Zoe, Kaitlin and Luke, and by many other relatives
in Japan.

His funeral services was held on March 23rd, 2018 at Zenshuji.

Rev. Koshi Kuwahara was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1934 as a son of a merchant, and
led his youth in Tokyo in the most chaotic era; before and after World War II. After
becoming a Zen monk, he attended Komazawa University to study Buddhism, and then
volunteered for his first mission to Brazil in 1959. His duty began with traveling
and serving the Japanese communities which were dispersed over the huge country,
and he helped establish the missions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In 1964, he
came to the United States as a member of the Institute of Zen Buddhism in North America;
its office was located at Zenshuji. While serving at Zenshuji, he attended local
colleges and UCLA where he studied American cultures, English and translation of
Buddhism materials. He then worked as a system analyst and manager in the business
world for a while, and in 1999, he was assigned as residential minister of Zenshuji
until his retirement in 2005. Currently he continues to serve Zenshuji by organizing
and supporting a computer class, Japanese class, and Zen discussion class.

Guest Ministers:

The Ministers

Full-Time Ministers:

Rev. Shumyo Kojima 小島秀明国際布教主任

Rev. Shumyo Kojima is a Soto Zen monk, a head preist of Zenshuji Buddhist Temple
which is the oldest Soto Zen Temple in North America. Rev. Kojima grew up as a disciple
of his father in their family temple in Saga prife., Japan. Upon graduating from
Komazawa University where he studied Buddhist history and philosophy, he entered
the Soto Institute for Buddhist Studies, education department. As a resercher from
the institute of Soto Education Studies, he embarked to the U.S. to reserch American
Zen, and temporarily join the staff at Zenshuji Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles, 1993.
After he had practiced at Eiheiji Monastery, he returned to Zenshuji to become a
full time minister where he has remained for 25 years.

Rev. Daiki Toho 東方大樹国際布教師

Rev. Daiki Toho was born in Aichi prefecture, Japan on December 21st, 1975. He grew
up in Chita peninsula Aichi. After graduated from Aichi Gakuin University, he came
to California to play football. Since he went back to Japan in 2001, he had been
helping his home temple and also working as a physical therapist until April 2009.
In October 2009, he entered Eiheiji monastery at the age of 34. In 2011, he came
to Zenshuji with his wife Asako.